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Randolph Caldecott Medal 2017

Awards

Randolph Caldecott Medal 2017

The Randolph Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. During 2013, children's picturebook lovers everywhere celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award.

Jean-Michael Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocked to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art work had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork young readers to the powerful message and art doesn't always have to be neat or clean to be beautiful.

One day, a grandmother shouts, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal --- knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter.

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square.

Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down --- booby voobeck! --- only to be carried off in turn. Su! With exquisitely detailed illustrations and tragicomic flair, Carson Ellis invites readers to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard. Su!

In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?

Books On Screen

November's Books on Screen roundup includes the feature filmsThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms, The Grinch and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald; the debut of the Hallmark made-for-TV holiday movie, "Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe"; the ongoing series "Black Lightning," "The Flash," and "Arrow," all on The CW; and the DVD releases of Crazy Rich Asians, and The Little Mermaid.

Adult Books You Want to Read

Throughout the year, Teenreads.com features adult books from Bookreporter.com, our site for adult readers, that we think will have definite appeal to a teen audience. In the spirit of sharing, we are now spotlighting a selection of titles each month from Bookreporter.com that we believe are great reads that you might enjoy.Explore our picks here!